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Auto alternatives for the 21st centuryFri, 09 Dec 2016 14:15:34 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.4Volvo: Deliveries Directly To Your Carhttp://www.hybridcars.com/volvo-deliveries-directly-to-your-car/
http://www.hybridcars.com/volvo-deliveries-directly-to-your-car/#commentsFri, 21 Feb 2014 13:12:52 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=125985Always aiming to ease one’s life, Volvo is now organizing its cars as options for deliveries instead of home or office. In what the company claims is a groundbreaking technological move for the automotive industry, Volvo Cars will demonstrate the world’s first delivery of food to the car – a new form of “roam delivery” […]

]]>Always aiming to ease one’s life, Volvo is now organizing its cars as options for deliveries instead of home or office.

In what the company claims is a groundbreaking technological move for the automotive industry, Volvo Cars will demonstrate the world’s first delivery of food to the car – a new form of “roam delivery” services. The service, which will be showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, allows consumers to have their shopping delivered straight to their car, no matter where they are.

Volvo said its new digital key technology means people will be able to choose their car as a delivery option when ordering goods online. Via a smartphone or tablet, the owner will be informed when a delivery company wants to drop off or pick up something from the car.

Having accepted the delivery, the car owner hands out a digital key and can track when the car is opened and locked again. Once the pick up or drop off is completed, the digital key ceases to exist, said Volvo. The system is based on the functionality of the telematics app Volvo On Call, which, among other things, makes it possible to remotely heat or cool the car, see its location, or check its fuel level via a mobile phone.

The technology was tested during a pilot program with 100 people, with Volvo stating 86 percent of which agreed that roam delivery saved them time. The innovative use of digital keys will now make it possible to save time, money and reduce environmental impact, following completion of the first tests of the concept.

With connected services such as roam delivery, the future car will be much more than just a means of transportation, believes Volvo. Earlier this year Volvo Cars launched Sensus Connect, an integrated on board navigation and infotainment experience. Volvo Cars’ strategic partnership with Ericsson builds further on the idea of the networked society — by examining a host of consumer-centric concepts around the “Connected Vehicle Cloud” that will see the driving experience revolutionized over the coming years.

“By turning the car into a pickup and drop-off zone through digital keys, we solved a lot of problems delivering goods to people, not places. The test customers also indicated that the service clearly saved time. And there are benefits for delivery companies as well because failed first-time deliveries generate significant costs for companies. We are now further investigating the technology of digital keys and new consumer benefits linked to it,” says Klas Bendrik, Group CIO at Volvo Car Group.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/volvo-deliveries-directly-to-your-car/feed/0New Sensus Connect Improves Volvo’s Connectivity Offeringhttp://www.hybridcars.com/new-sensus-connect-improves-volvos-connectivity-offering-2/
http://www.hybridcars.com/new-sensus-connect-improves-volvos-connectivity-offering-2/#commentsWed, 08 Jan 2014 05:52:58 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=111202Volvo is launching Sensus Connect, an updated on-board infotainment and navigation system. Volvo Cars Group said its vehicles will now truly offers customers a fully connected experience. Cloud-based, the new services allow drivers to find and pay for parking from their car, discover new restaurants at their destination, stream their favorite music seamlessly and much […]

Volvo Cars Group said its vehicles will now truly offers customers a fully connected experience. Cloud-based, the new services allow drivers to find and pay for parking from their car, discover new restaurants at their destination, stream their favorite music seamlessly and much more.

“Technology should make your life easier. That’s why we listened carefully to our customers when creating Sensus Connect. It’s not about offering a thousand apps; it’s about giving you precisely what you need, before you even knew you needed it,” said David Holecek, Connectivity Brand Manager at Volvo Cars.

Explaining the possibilities, Volvo said tens of thousands of radio stations can now be enjoyed in a car that is pre-heated or pre-cooled every time the customer wants to go for a drive, made possible by the remote start function on their mobile phone. A navigation system where the driver can not only set destinations through their mobile device and get information about their surroundings through Wikipedia, but which also lets them find and pay for parking at their destination.

Park&Pay is the world-first integrated solution for finding and paying for parking from within your car, declared Volvo. The application is based on car2infrastructure communication and points the way of new possibilities when the car starts to “communicate” with its surroundings.

“It’s all about giving everyone an enjoyable, easy to use and intuitive experience. There is no point in filling a car with technology if it comes off as overwhelming, so our main focus is always to give our customers the best experience available and make it easy to digest. Our cloud-based apps update seamlessly. Sensus offers the optimal combination of input/output methods and allows the driver to turn the entire car into a Wi-Fi hotspot for all of their connected devices,” said David Holecek.

Volvo created Sensus Connect with partners such as Ericsson, Pandora, HERE, Yelp, Glympse and parking service providers. Volvo said this allowed the company to focus on what they do best, providing a safe, comfortable and highly enjoyable ride.

“We are particularly proud to announce at CES the inclusion of Pandora Internet Radio in our launch of Sensus Connect. Sensus Connect offers the first ever embedded solution supported by Pandora, the internet radio service with more than 76 million active monthly listeners,” said David Holecek.

Sensus Connect will allow Volvo drivers to stream Pandora via a data connection provided by the built-in modem or their smartphone.

Control of Pandora features like station creation and thumbs feedback are now available via the head unit, making access to personalized radio in the car as easy as FM radio.

“The driver can now seamlessly switch between their favorite music on high-end speakers and having their text messages read out loud without taking their hands off the wheel. And as from now, your car will not only tell you when it’s time to visit the garage but also will suggest an appointment for you at your Volvo dealership. Our brand new app Connected Service Booking is only the first step in making the dealer workshop fully integrated into the digital eco-system, enabling even more services in the future. Say goodbye to expensive or outdated maps, our Sensus Navigation includes lifetime map upgrades. There’s really no reason it should be more difficult than that,” added David Holecek.

The updated Sensus Connect will be available in all new Volvo models starting in May 2014. Drivers who already have Sensus Connect in their cars today will be offered an update for their system.

“Two of my favorite parts of the new Sensus Connect are Glympse, an app where you can share your position with others to see on their phones, perfect when carpooling or visiting a friend’s house for the first time and the fact that the entire car works as a Wi-Fi hotspot for all your connected devices, using an integrated roof-top antenna to ensure the best possible signal reception,” concluded David Holecek.